Here's music to bless your soul.

Let His Love flow over you today.

Be blessed,

Debbi

He Knows Me By Name

One Word!

That's all it took.

One Word.

And Mary's life was changed....forever.

Mary had gone to the tomb and found it empty.

And I imagine she "lost it".  I would have....

3 days with little to no sleep or food. 

Memories replaying in her mind of THAT day when everything seemed lost.

Now to find that His body also was lost.

Can you imagine that?

The person you loved most died, and you go to the cemetery, and the grave is empty?

How do you respond?

How would YOU respond?

Then she hears a voice.

And talks to that man....not knowing.....

until He says one simple word.

"Mary"

Her name.

And that is all it took, she knew Him, and her heart was healed, and her life reborn.

It's like that for us.  Sometimes we are so busy "looking" for him in our distress, in our crisis, in our chaos, that we don't see him.

There.

Right there.

With us.

Waiting.

For us to turn....

when He calls our name.

Yes, our name.

Yours.

Mine.

He know us.

Intimately.

He never left us.

And He never will.

Be blessed,

Debbi

The First Day Of My New Life

It was in August of 1982.

I was a single mother of 2 living with my mother in Tonawanda NY.

My husband had left for Texas to find work, and to be honest, our marriage needed the break.

I knew about God, and Jesus.

But they were mostly just someone I prayed to when I needed something.

My mom had a relationship with them, but didn't push them on me.

Sometimes I wish she would have, my teen years were...well...difficult.

Anyway, here I was with 2 young children and only 23 years old.

No college, no job, and no prospects.

BUT GOD...

He had a plan for my life,

but first I needed to meet Him.

Really meet Him.

Personally.

A dear friend from the church I attended off and on invited my mom to a special  church service.

So, like most everything else, all us girls went with my mom.

To a Messianic Jewish Temple.

Where my destiny awaited.

What I am about to tell you is the absolute truth.

While I can't remember much about the service, 

the songs, or the sermon.

I will remember this until my dying day.

I was standing next to my mom, realizing that my life was in a mess, and I couldn't fix it.

The preacher was telling me about someone who knew me, and loved me, 

and still chose to die for me.

Then the preacher directed everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes.

That's when I felt Him.

With my head down and eyes closed, I swore someone put their hands on my head.

My eyes flew open, and I looked around, but there was nobody near me.

So I closed my eyes again.

And again, someone put their hands on my head.

They were heavy.

They were warm.

And they felt good.

And I knew they belonged to Him.

The one I had been looking for all my life, I just didn't know it until then.

When the preacher asked all those who raised their hands to come down to the alter.

I froze.  Literally.  I could not move.

An usher came up and asked me if I wanted to go down.

I yelled at him for peeking when the preacher told everyone to keep their eyes closed.

There was a woman sitting next to me.

I had not noticed her when we first got there.

She calmly took my hand, and walked to the alter with me.

Turns out, she was the preachers wife.

On the ride home, my sisters kept teasing me, but it didn't matter.

I felt lighter, and happier.

And I couldn't stop smiling.

For months.

In fact, I still smile every time I remember this day.

It's been 32 years since then, and my life has been up and down.

I had a third child.

That marriage ended in divorce.

I met a wonderful man and remarried.

And through it all....

I could always feel those hands.

Thank you Jesus for loving me.

Be blessed,

Debbi

True Love Waits

Our church recently provided our teen (and pre-teen) girls the opportunity to participate in True Love Waits.  This is a program to help our young people to understand and embrace purity and abstinence, and while my daughter is still too young for sex (I wish), this is something that all parents need to share with their children, boys and girls.  If you're a believer in Jesus Christ or God or not, you can not leave it up to society to teach them and guide them.  And while this program does not mean our children will stay a virgin until marriage,  because our children are bombarded with sexualized tv shows, games, and movies daily, it does give them understanding and a choice.  My husband and I are proud of the choice Hannah has made, today.

(oh, and even when Hannah makes poor choices, we are proud of her everyday).

 Crystal and Hannah at the TLW purity ring ceremony.

 Here they are with their youth leaders.

And Hannah with us, her loving and wonderful and extremely smart parents. (she's reading me as I type, and just huffed, lol)

The photo we took at church did not come out, so we took another one when we got home. 

She is growing up just way too fast for me. :-(

Be blessed,

Debbi

a life lesson

I have lots to share with you, but nothing is more important to me then my Father.  And His lessons for me.  I want to ask you today to join me on my personal blog, and learn the lesson He had for me.
http://myhopemyfaithmylife.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-heart-hurts.html

views from my front porch

God's kiss goodnight.

Thank you Father!
Debbi

introducing....the newest member of our family

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,  The fruit of the womb is a reward.
 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,  So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
   Psalm 127:3-5
Children’s children are the crown of old men,  And the glory of children is their father. 
   Proverbs 17:6

Our beautiful granddaughter Shannon Anderson and her husband Mikaele increased our family by one on 8/26/11 at 5:26pm.  He weighed a healthy 7 pounds and 8 ounces and was 21 inches long.  Isn't he just handsome?  Of course I'm a little bit biased. lol. 

  It seems to strange that little Shannon is now a mommy. It seems like just yesterday that her and her sister Krystal were spending nights at our house, running around screaming (thanks to poppa jumping out at them from behind closed doors). One time he actually asked my "why do they have to scream so much?" Well, duh! hahaha. I love the look on Christian's face. Yes, that's his name, since I forgot to mention it before. Christian James Lee Anderson. Such a fine and strong name.   He has a touch of red

hair, just like his mother, and grandmother.  Actually Shannon has more than a touch.  On my next trip down memory lane, I'll share pictures of Shannon, and the rest of the grandkids.  Oh, and that's not Shannon sleeping with the baby...it's gramma!  There's is nothing like cuddling a new baby to bring you peace.  Great-Poppa and Great-Mamaw loves you Christian James Lee and can't wait to get down so we can see you, and kiss your cheeks, and just spoil you rotten. <3

come meet the CAPSteam #2

Here's my second installment on the wonderful talent from my Etsy CAPSteam, (Christian Artists Promoting Shops).  First let me tell you a little bit about this team.  As the name implies, we are a group of artists that have dedicated our lives to following Jesus Christ.  God gave us our talent, and God gets all the glory for our talent.  We promote each other's shops thru treasuries and other social medias, but most importantly, we support each other in prayer and uplifting  words on our forum.  So if this sounds like a team for you, click on the link above.  Now, here are my 3 shops for this feature.

First is Suzanne Medrano...Suzanne is from the sunny state of California, and believes in recycling products.  Her shop is filled with paper embellishments and gift tags, and a craft I used to love but haven't done much of lately, needlepoint on plastic canvas.  That's why I picked this great Freestanding White Dove Ornament to share with you.


Next is Rachel Petersen with her shop Road to Grinnell.  Rachel chose the name for her shop from the small town in Iowa where she used to live.  Sounds like a picture postcard kind of place :)  Rachel loves to play mostly with yarn and paper and her shop is full of great greeting cards and gift tags.  I just love this Going Places card.  It makes me just want to pack and go, lol. 

My last shop for today is Catz DiVirgilio's Blondiesloft.  I just love that name...Catz.  So very artsy!   I'm going to quote her straight from her profile page, because she very aptly states what I was trying to express for myself earlier today. "God has led me here to YOU, to build this Shop. He has given me a PEACE beyond understanding, as far as ,The "Fear" factor of failure..... In His eyes, I've already succeeded. I'm beyond that fear now. Who needs to come ....Will......& who doesn't ...simply doesn't ...".  I have discovered that I have been spending soooo much time lately trying to "build my business" that I had no time left to relax and just use the creative gift my Father gave to me.  So I've come to accept that if I make a sale, great.  If not, that's ok too.  Thank you Catz for reminding me of this.  Now here is my favorite item from her shop, her Photograph Art Title Round and Round.
Now, before I forget, both Suzanne and Rachel are leaders of our great team.  Be sure to click on any link above and check out these wonderful shops yourself, and until next time, may God bless you.
Debbi

Celebrate...for He is risen!

After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move.
 The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.
 "Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."
 The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."

my baby turned 70 yesterday!

Ok, so he's not really my "baby", but he is my honey bunny, my knight in shining armor, my soul mate.  He looks pretty good for an old man, huh? And yes, he got a new power tool for his gift, of course!  I can't believe we've been together for 20 years.  I first met him when he was 49 and I just turned 30.  We started dating the next year, after he pursued me, hahaha.  We lived just a few blocks apart for about 3 years, and I don't recall ever seeing him before, but after our first meeting, he was everywhere...he told me later he would ride around on his bike (motorcycle) to look for me.  I loved it.  My marriage was in it's last death throws, and it was so nice to have someone interested in me.  I mean he liked to talk (he did not follow sports, a big plus in my book), and to actually listen to what I had to say.  We talked about everything.....it was wonderful.  I know people, especially my family, was concerned about the almost 19 year age difference, but I never was.  When it started to get serious, Chuck tried to back off, so I did the pursuing, and prayed him down the aisle.  Literally.  I proposed, and when he left to go home, I called my girlfriends, and we prayed.  The next day Chuck said, "let's do it".  Like he ever had a choice, hahahaha.  Now, it wasn't always hearts and roses, after all God put together a conservative man of the 50's with a woman's libber of the 70's, and while we learned from each other, we learned mostly from God.  He had a plan to bless us, not harm us, and we both came out of difficult marriages, with equally difficult divorces.  So it took almost 3 years from that first meeting to our wedding day.  And the day we married, we both put Jesus dead center of our lives.  That's the only way to do it, and have it work.  I look back on our lives together, and feel so blessed.  And I am looking forward to what God has in store for the next 20 years.

Thank you God! (and thank you Robin.)

The Tapestry

My life is but a weaving, between my God and me,

I do not choose the colors, He worketh steadily.

Oftimes He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride,

Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.

Not till the loom is silent, and the shuttles cease to fly,

Will God unroll the canvas, and explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful in the skillful Weaver's hands,

As the threads of gold and silver, in the pattern He has planned.

anonymous

my God...my testimony

*here's part 2 of my promised 3 part series.  There is a time in each person's life, a defining moment, of "knowing" God.  An indisputable incident that cannot be explained, but which we can (and often) ignore.  When that moment happens to you, examine it, and accept it for what it is, God reaching out to you, His child.  If you choose to ignore it, (and it is your choice), that may be the only chance you get.  So, here's my indisputable incident, and I am so glad that I did not ignore it.*

It was on a Saturday in the month of August 1982.  My husband had moved out of state with some buddies of his, and I was living with my mom.  Here I was, 23 years old, mother of 2 small children, and back living with my own mom.  Fun, wow.  How did I get here, I wondered.  What happened to all my childhood plans.  College, career.  I was going to be the next Lucielle Ball and Carol Burnett.  Instead, I'm home with my mom, and caring for 2 babies without my husband.  The worst part, I didn't even miss him, too many problems in our very young marriage.  So, here I am, sitting and doing nothing, when my mom says "let's go to church".  On a Saturday?????  A friend of hers had been inviting us to her church, so today mom decides that all of us girls would go to church.  So mom, sisters, and I pile into the car and head off.  It turns out to be a Messianic Jewish Temple.  This could prove to be a very interesting day.  The music is fast and lively, and then this man gets up and starts to talk.  Not "preach", just talk.  And he talks about God like he knows Him.  And I mean really knows Him.  Not just words in a book, but God as a being with feelings, about me.  Then the man talks about Jesus.  And I am amazed.  I heard about Jesus in my church.  But only as part of the trinity.  This Jesus the man talks about, is a Man of Love, Power, Truth, and Love.  (Love is always worth repeating).  My life was a mess, but here was an offer of love, despite (or maybe because) of the mess.  I don't remember the words, but I do remember the feeling, inside me, churning and breaking.  The man starts to talk about how Jesus died for me, but more than just died, how He suffered and cried for me.  Then I realize, I am crying.  For the first time in years, tears are just pouring down my face, and I can't stop.  So I bow my head, and cry out His name, and dare Him to prove Himself real.  (Yes you can dare God, and He delights in proving Himself to you.)  Suddenly I feel a touch on my shoulder, so I open my eyes and look around but noone is there.  So I close my eyes again, and then I feel a touch on my head.  Not just a brush of wind, but a real firm touch, so I look around, and again, nothing.  Now the third time I bow my head, I don't close my eyes because I am bound and determined to catch whoever was messing with me.  That's when I feel it.  Two hands, covering the top of my head.  And the heat!  I touch the top of my head and can feel the heat on my own hands.  The heat starts to flow down my face and neck, into my heart.  It was something I could not explain, but I knew that is was Jesus.  The preacher man tells everyone to close their eyes, and if you want to learn and know more about Jesus to raise your hands.  My hand went up.  Then comes the moment of decision.  The preacher man says that if you are ashamed of Jesus, He would be ashamed of you.  If you raised your hand, come down front, and let us pray with you and share more with you.  I was TERRIFIED!  My legs would not move, literally, I could not place one foot in front of me if the building had been on fire.  An usher came up behind me and told me that he saw my hand and asked if I wanted to go up.  I got mad at him for peeking!  There was a woman I didn't know sitting next to me, she calmly took my hand, and walked with me down that long aisle.  They surrounded me, prayed with me, explained to me, and gave me a bible.  The service was over, but my mom had to wait, and wait, and wait for me.  I laughed all the way home, and for months afterward.  My life circumstances did not change overnight.  In fact, things got worse before they got better.  But that heat stayed with me.  Whenever I doubted what had happened, that heat came back.  Awesome.  Now, at anytime during this service, I could have chosen to ignore the touch, or explained it away as my over-active imagination.  And God would have let me, but I firmly believe that there is a place in each and every one of us that was created only for God, for Him to live there, in us and with us, all the time.  Don't blow Him off when He comes knocking at your door.  That may be the only chance you get.
Debbi

my God....my life

*A friend once asked me to explain my faith to her, why do I believe what I believe.  After much thought, I realized that I couldn't really explain why because faith is not something you just think about and decide, but I could share how He changed my life.  So here is part 1 of a 3 part series where I will try to explain my faith. *

When I was a child, about 5, I sat on my daddy's lap and watched my mommy pick up her suitcase and walk out the door, and out of my daily life for the next 7 years.

But God was God, and God was good.

When I was older, about 12, I lived with my daddy next door to my gramma Rose.  I ate breakfast and dinner at any friends home that would offer, then at bedtime I would walk to the corner bar, put daddy in the back seat, drive him home and put him to bed.

But God was God, and God was good.

When I was older, about 15, I started drinking myself, with my brother and his friends.  I went to a party on the West Side of downtown Buffalo, not a good place to be.  Three days later, I woke up and went home to my mothers.

But God was God, and God was good.

When I was older, 17, I became pregnant out of wedlock.  An unwed teen, still in school.

But God was God, and God was good.

When I was older, about 23, I was pregnant with my 3rd child, alone and away from family in Texas, with a husband who drank his paycheck at the Texas moon.

But God was God, and God was good.

When I was older, about 30, I became a single mom.

But God was God, and God was good.

When I was older, I examined my life, and discovered....

God sent me a loving step-mother,

God placed his angels around the car when I drove daddy home,

God protected me when I placed myself in dangerous situations,

God gave me a family to help me,

God sent friends to me in Texas,

And

God gave me a new life, in Him.

I do not ask why I had to go through situations in my life. I ask, why not?  Everything that I know, and everything that I am, is a result of all of my past.  So today I can say....

God is God, and God is good

yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Mountain Creek Gifts

We belong to several Etsy teams, one of them being the CAPSteam, Christian Artists Promoting Shops team.  That's where I met Brittany from Mountain Creek Gifts.  Brittany lives in the middle of Amish country in Ohio.  When I still lived in western NY, I remember visiting Amish shops near the PA border.  I have always been intrigued by the wonderfully peaceful lives of the Amish.  To have so much faith in God that you would separate yourselves from the world is inspiring.  His Word tells us that we are to be separate, and not of this world.  But as my husband likes to ask me, whatever would I do without my laptop? hahaha.  While preparing to blog about Mountain Creek Gifts, I asked Brittany to share her life and background with me.  After reading her message back to me, I've discovered a kindred spirit.  She married her childhood friend (and I mean childhood, they met when she was only 7).  She comes from a large family, 8 total with her as the second oldest.  I was the youngest of 10 (including steps brothers and sisters).  She grew up on a farm, and while I did not grow up on a farm, I spent many summers on my uncle's sheep farm, and even worked on a dairy farm for 2 summers as a teenager.  I am truly a country girl at heart, just like Brittany.  She has a brother in the military, and stationed in Afghanistan right now.  How proud she must be of him!  Brittany's favorite scripture is also one of my own favorites.  Jeremiah 29:11.  Look it up, you'll be glad you did! Brittany spends her time researching and making all natural soaps and candles, and discovering great vintage items, all of which you can find on her Etsy shop.  To visit her shop, you can click on any of the highlighted links.  I chose a few to share with you.  At the top we have her all natural soap balls.  Just imagine how relaxing your bath time would be when you toss one of these into the tub.  Next is her all natural peppermint cookie soap with shea butter.  Sounds good enough to eat. And last, but not least, this wonderful vintage silver-plate soap dish, complete with 3 bars of soap.  And better yet, you get to choose the soap!  So stop whatever you're doing right now, look up "her" scripture, the look up her shop!!  Tell her I said "Hi".

A Carolina White Christmas

Well, Christmas has come and gone in a whirl, and I'm finally sitting in my chair, with my feet up, and wanted to share some of our day. We are originally from Buffalo, NY and are used to snowy days, but we've been transplanted to Statesville, NC for the past 10 years, and enjoy the warmth all year thru. Today, IT SNOWED! The news said that this is the first white Christmas since 1958 (?) so I had to go out and take some pictures. The snow started about 10:30 am with big soft flakes. This is my butterfly garden on the left getting dressed up in it's winter garb. On the right is my knock-out rose bush that blooms for most of the year. Then the tree line on our property. And my favorite picture, our horses running to us for attention. (Really they just wanted the treat Hannah was carrying). Now, remember, this was before noon. And it snowed all day. So now I will share with you the photos of all the snow by evening. We had to drive to my step-son's home for a visit, and they only live a couple of miles away. Our van was slipping and sliding up the hill on the way home.

But it's been a wonderful and blessed day. A day for family, for friends, and to remember the gift of salvation that was offered to us with the birth of God's Son, Jesus Christ. So Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

blah

too pooped to post.  hubby sick, sun finally shining so yard work waiting, bathroom emptied and waiting for someone, anyone, to paint it.  Then there's homeschooling.....ahhhh but I love my life and feel tremendously blessed by my Father.  We have a roof over our heads, food on our table, and love in our family.  What more could I ask for?  Oh yea, Mandy and Brandon moving home this weekend :)  God is soooo good, all the time.
Debbi

Good Friday

Well, today is Good Friday, but really, how many of us take the time to remember what this day is all about? If you have never been touched by God, this blog is not for you. (I didn't say "if you don't believe in God" because God's existence does depend on our belief). But if you do believe, join me in my thoughts of this day.
We have had Easter homecoming at my church the past few nights, sharing communion and all. And it was amazing. And humbling. To think that Jesus, who was with God, and was God, in the beginning, and in the end, and is the Word that brought all things into existence. Jesus CHOOSE to leave heaven to come to this sin filled world, for me. Yes, he was the Son of God, but he was also the Son of Man. If Jesus came just for our salvation, he would have just died, but he did so much more.
Yes, He came for our salvation, but he also came so that we might have life abundantly, here, today, in this life and in this world. He was betrayed by a kiss (how many of us have been hurt by a friend?), but did not respond in kind. He chose to lay down his life according to God's will for fallen man. Then he was beaten, whipped, teased, made fun of, rejected, and THEN crucified. Why???? Because of his love for me. Yes me. If I was the only person in the history of the world that accepted his gift, he would have done all this just for me. But he didn't do it just for me, he did it for you, whether you believe in him or not.
This was a sad and dark day for man. But the best is yet to come. See you all in 3 days!
-Debbi-